Birth at Sunrise
by CelestoArius
Summary: To Esther Blanchett, sunrises reminded her of home. Sunrise was comfort. Leaving Istvan was hard on her, and in Rome, the sunrise seemed so foreign. When she befriends Father Tres Iqus, will he show her that home can be more than just a place? (Slight AU in which Tres is human, but all else remains the same) Oneshot


**A/N: This is a semi-fluffy little Tresther drabble I decided to put out there. **

**Please note: Tres is OOC in this fic because this is semi-AU. The only difference between this and the manga/anime is that Tres isn't an android, just a normal human like Esther.**

**Flames will be smothered to death.**

**Enjoy~**

Birth at Sunrise

Istvan had always been beautiful to Esther. On most mornings, she would wake early to watch the sun rise and feed birds bits of bread.

She loved how the indigo of night and the small glimmers of the stars would disappear. They'd be replaced with a gradual rising yellow that would break to a deep orange and a heavy red. And then the sun would peak out from the horizon, igniting the sky with its light.

When she left Istvan, she didn't think she would be able to see another sunrise quite as beautiful as the ones back home. She felt this was partially true, due to that fact that for several months, she had been quite busy, from dawn to dusk, and hadn't gotten the chance to see one.

From within the Vatican grounds, buildings and high walls surrounded her. She couldn't get a clear view of the horizon to see a sunrise. Only when she went on missions with Father Nightroad and Father Tres could she arise early and witness the birth of a new day.

And then there was Father Tres.

He was very reserved and soft spoken, and Esther had found it was very difficult to get him to laugh. (Though Father Nightroad had mentioned a witch named Elise that discovered Tres was ticklish at his ribs, a weakness they had both expended. Father Nightroad boasts that the Gunslinger begged for mercy, though Tres fervently denied it.)

Tres was incredibly intimidating. He had intense amber eyes and brown hair that had gold and black in it in places. His shot was perfect; he never missed, and if ever had, Esther had never seen it. For the first few weeks, being around him was strange. Awkward, even. Whenever Abel wasn't there, they mostly sat in silence. Esther wanted to say something, but couldn't figure out what. Tres wouldn't say anything, but that was because he tended to avoid conversations.

Despite the intimidating factor of his appearance, Tres seemed rather lonely. He only seemed to mind being around a few people. Father Nightroad and William Wordsmith did he actually talk to. He worked with Sister Kate and Lady Caterina, but wasn't one to hang around them needlessly. Everyone else, like Father Leon and Monica Argento, teased him constantly. They called him the 'Hound of the Vatican', the 'Mindless Agent', and, of course, 'Shortie'.

Tres was indeed one of the shortest men in AX at only 5'7", though he was still taller than Esther and Sister Kate, as well as most of the novice's on the grounds. Black Widow insisted that didn't count, because Tres wasn't a girl. Even so, Esther had to look up to see into his amber eyes.

There was something very strange about Father Tres Iqus, though she doubted that she would be able to figure it out for a long while.

Slowly, the two of them began working better together. Abel wouldn't need to be there anymore to pull Tres from his introverted state, and it was easier for Esther to talk to him. She was a bit of a rambler when they talked, but he didn't seem to mind. He merely listened, and to have someone that understanding so far from home comforted her.

And then it wasn't just missions anymore. The two of them would get together in the gardens to walk and chat (well, Esther would do most of the talking and Tres would listen). Esther enjoyed her time with Tres, and gradually, Tres began to enjoy it, too. Esther had caught him with a small smile on his face a few times, but didn't point it out. She was afraid that he would make a point of not smiling anymore if she did so.

Esther had told Tres just about everything she had about herself, including her foster mother, Bishop Vitez, and her home in Istvan. She told of her love for the sunrise, the birth of a new day and the colors.

"So you miss home," Tres murmured.

"Of course I do!" she said, a little too enthusiastically. She missed the slightly hurt look in Tres's eyes. "But I do love it here! I love all the experiences I've had, and all the people I've met. Especially the friends I've made." She looked pointedly at Tres, smiling widely.

The next morning, knocking at the door to her room woke her up. It was early morning; the sun wasn't even up yet. She wrapped a robe around herself and opened the door, surprised to find Tres there. He didn't give her an explanation or a warning, merely grabbed her by the hand (yes, the HAND. He even laced their fingers together…) and pulled her along.

She was stunned and was trying to wrap her robe around her further as he brought her to the edge of the building. He led her up the stairs she hadn't exactly realized where there and pushed the gate at the top open. He stopped at the very edge of the walkway, and she halted beside him, out of breath. There were at least three flights, and he had dragged her up every single one!

But when she looked up to ask him what in God's name he was thinking, she saw.

The sun rising over Rome.

The indigo of night had already given way already to the yellow, and she knew the orange and red would soon follow. The buildings below them were beginning to lose their shroud of shadows to the embrace of light.

They were perfectly silent, aside from the birds chirping and their breathing. She didn't realize it in the beginning, but they were still holding hands. Tres's palm was warm against hers, and it contrasted like a sanctuary to the spring early morning chill in the air.

"I know it's not exactly like Istvan," Tres whispered, his voice soft and uncharacteristically gentle. "But… I suppose a sunrise is a sunrise, no matter where you are." He looked down at her after that statement, a real smile now on his face. It took Esther's breath away.

She didn't see the sun peak over the horizon. She didn't need to. Esther realized then that the real reason she missed the sunrise so much was because it reminded her of home. It reminded her of the days safe in the church, with Bishop Vitez. The sunrise put her back home, a place she was most comfortable.

She was scared of Rome. Scared of the people she didn't know, scared of the shops she couldn't name, the streets she couldn't navigate without a map or directions.

But as she stood there, her arms wrapped around Tres's strong, broad shoulders, and his wrapped around her waist, she knew this was her home now. And as she kissed him again, she knew wherever he was, she wouldn't be scared. She wouldn't be lost.

Esther had Tres, the lonely Gunslinger, and Tres had Esther, the novice who was now always home.

**A/N: Aw, nice sappy ending. (Tha'll do pig, tha'll do…) I really love the idea of Tres and Esther together, don't you? 3 **

**Also, this does not mean I'm giving up on my other Tresther fic Trying to Understand. I will finish it, and will post the new chapter… sometime in the while. I'M NOT GIVING UP, DON'T WORRY**

**Review! (I might turn this into a multiple chapter thing if I get enough)**

**(O,_,O) Please **


End file.
